Mass. bill bars gangs from 'safety zones'

By Maria Cramer and Shelley MurphyThe Boston Globe

BOSTON — Gang members seen talking to one another or standing together on public property could be fined or jailed under a new bill being pushed in the Legislature and supported by some prosecutors and Boston police.

The bill would give broad authority to police and prosecutors to bring civil lawsuits against reputed gangs or their members, forbidding them to hang out together in the neighborhoods and parks that police say they terrorize.